charlietheowl's Random Thoughts: Season 1 of TMS

[charlietheowl]

So I have just recently completed watching the first season of The Muppet Show for the first time, and thought that since I really don't have much else to do today, I'd get a thread going on some odds and ends from that season. In somewhat chronological order:

• I really like Rowlf's numbers in the UK spots; they're short, snappy, and funny. "You And I And George" definitely needs to become part of the popular standards songbook.
• The Piggy and Gonzo puppets used here look a lot different than the ones used in the movies and other, later projects, but they have a charm to them. Gonzo's puppet works for how sad-sack his character is.
• Wayne and Wanda may be one-note characters, but most of the time, their one-note was pretty funny.
• The "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" sketch with Ruth Buzzi and Sweetums is probably my favorite sketch from the whole season. Ruth Buzzi throws herself around with a lot of flair, and Sweetums shows off quite the voice.
• Talking Houses: don't get it at all.
• The handful of numbers that didn't really include any Muppets (the butterfly song with Florence Henderson, "In My Life" with Twiggy, Mummenschanz) confuse me because since the whole show is about the interaction between the guests and the Muppets, why would the writers have done anything that didn't rely on that?
• Paul Williams looks like my grandmother.
• The show's willingness to do goofy running gags is great; my favorite is the "telephone pole" bit.
• The Electric Mayhem numbers are really cool to watch because I imagine it was really hard to perform all the needed puppeteering motions to make it seem as realistic as possible. They do a great job.
• "Halfway Down The Stairs" oh my goodness how great is that oh man!
• The "at the dance" segments are funny, but sometimes I must admit I don't understand the jokes, whether they were just poorly written or are more 70s-style stuff I don't know. So I prefer the visual jokes more.
• The Veterinarian Hospital sketches are great, again, because of the writer's willingness to put any joke out there, no matter how corny.
• Avery Schreiber is a weird looking person.
• The Hugga Wugga sketch might be the weirdest thing aired during the first season, but it's great nonetheless.
• "That was no lady, that was a pawn shop sign!"
• "*** Willow" is awesome. I like when they send up Sam's cultural-values image. He's kind of under-utilized the first season, as he really only introduces Wayne and Wanda...
• ...except when he's explaining the differences between immoral and illegal. Took me a couple seconds to get that joke.
• Nigel is definitely a Fraggle, right? I can't be the only person who has noticed this. Clearly he beat Uncle Travelling Matt to the punch and wormed his way into the world of the Silly Creatures. (But seriously, I'd imagine that Nigel was one of the models for a Fraggle.)
• "Fugue For Frog" should have definitely become the show's theme song.
• I really like seeing Rowlf and Nigel playing the theme song by themselves at the end of the Kaye Ballard episode.
• Gonzo's love for Piggy is sort of creepy but hilarious. It really works with his sad-sack characterization but I can see why they expanded his character outwards.
• I know I said this before, but Mummenschanz does not work at all. No interaction with Muppets=no funny.

Stay tuned a million weeks from now after I finish season two.

 

[CensoredAlso]

The "at the dance" segments are funny, but sometimes I must admit I don't understand the jokes, whether they were just poorly written or are more 70s-style stuff I don't know. So I prefer the visual jokes more.

I think At the Dance was sort of a tribute to the TV show Laugh In(1967-1973). Good show, but sort of hit or miss humor. You saw more of that kind of humor in the Muppet Show's first season and I personally am glad they moved on for the most part, lol.

Though to be fair some of the At the Dance jokes were classic Vaudeville humor that never goes out of style.

But btw if you watch the episodes with the text commentary on some of the jokes are explained.

I know I said this before, but Mummenschanz does not work at all. No interaction with Muppets=no funny.

Mimes were really big in the '70s. Strange but true, lol. Their bits were certainly amazing, I respect their craft but yes it would have been cool to integrate the Muppets somehow.

The handful of numbers that didn't really include any Muppets (the butterfly song with Florence Henderson, "In My Life" with Twiggy, Mummenschanz) confuse me because since the whole show is about the interaction between the guests and the Muppets, why would the writers have done anything that didn't rely on that?

I think it was just that they were still getting used to what the Muppets could do on a variety show format. Plus since the show was so new and untested, they knew at least the celebrities would draw an audience.

 

[charlietheowl]

Mimes were really big in the '70s. Strange but true, lol. Their bits were certainly amazing, I respect their craft but yes it would have been cool to integrate the Muppets somehow.

I saw on Muppet Wiki that Mummenschanz were called in at the last minute to replace a guest, so maybe it was just easier on the writing staff to let the group do some pre-packaged routines, but it would have been funny if they incorporated the Muppets a bit more.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I saw on Muppet Wiki that Mummenschanz were called in at the last minute to replace a guest, so maybe it was just easier on the writing staff to let the group do some pre-packaged routines, but it would have been funny if they incorporated the Muppets a bit more.

Yeah that makes sense too, that they just inserted the Mummenschanz segments in between because they were in a hurry.

 

[Slackbot]

I really liked the Mummenschanz episode. I thought their bits were nifty and conceptual. That said, I can see why others wouldn't like that ep, and the lack of interaction with the Muppets is a flaw. It's one of the reasons I don't like the Liberace show; I wanna see the puppets, not Mister Lookit-My-Diamond-Rings.

 

[KermieBaby47]

Charlie man, I'm definitely looking forward to your future thoughts on The Muppet Show!! These are great first impressions, not only because they're hilarious!! Ha ha ha. Good on you.

 

[newsmanfan]

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My favorite parts about TMS first season were that Newsie actually got to interact with the guest stars numerous times in those ridiculous news interviews. They showed a depth of intelligence and a sort of begrudging toleration on his part for the silliness that is TMS; later sketches of his don't allow him much room to react, much less duck!

Yes, the At the Dance and Vet Hosp. jokes were always as corny as they could get...but still better than the ones on "Hee Haw." No joke.

Favorite guest star bit? Rita Moreno's daring dance of drunkenness with the French beatnik full-body puppet! Fave running joke? "Hello, backstage, Muppet Theatre!"

Keep up the reviews, Charlie! Fun to read.
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[charlietheowl]

The Rita Moreno episode was definitely one of the best of the first season. I believe she won an Emmy for her work in the show, and she definitely deserved it. "Fever" is great.

 

[tutter_fan]

I thought the parts that Newsie was involved in were very funny, like the "running gag" episode where Fozzie says "Now THAT'S a running gag!!" (as Newsie is seen running to his desk)

 

[zoebell]

i didn't miss at the dance when they eventually stopped doing it. because i realized that overall it's not that different from vet's hospital and that one's better/funnier